Ready2Teach Program

Ready2Teach Program is sponsored by Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP). The Ready2Teach program is a 12-month program that provides coursework and training to help jumpstart a career in child care. It offers paid internships, free college coursework, and professional development training.

Ready2Teach - Los Angeles Education Partnership Ready2Teach: Powering the Future of Los Angeles’ Workforce The Challenge In Los Angeles County, the gap is widening. While high-quality early childhood education is the key to preventing academic achievement gaps, a critical shortage of qualified teachers and available childcare space—particularly in low-income communities—is leaving our children behind.

The Solution Ready2Teach is LAEP’s ambitious response to this crisis. We are bridging the gap by building a pipeline of high-quality infant and toddler educators through a unique one-year, “earn-and-learn” teacher accelerator program. Participants don’t just learn; they work.

By the end of the program, our educators obtain their California Child Development Associate Teacher permit and enter the workforce ready to lead. How We Support Our Future Educators LAEP removes the barriers to entry through a comprehensive, five-pillar support model: Teaching Residency: We match participants to paid internships at licensed childcare facilities for immediate practical experience and mentorship.

College Coursework: In partnership with local colleges, we ensure participants complete all necessary units for their permit within the program year. Classroom Preparation: Intensive training in social-emotional learning, preventative health, and developmentally appropriate infant-toddler care. Professional Development: Supplementing college credits with real-world workforce development led by experienced LAEP staff.

Wrap-Around Support: We tackle the “life” obstacles by providing childcare vouchers, transportation stipends, and a laptop loan program to ensure every participant crosses the finish line. Ready2Teach is made possible by the generous lead funding of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation .

Start a Career in Early Childhood Education Whether you’re looking for your first job or want to change careers, Ready2Teach offers the training, support, and experience you need. Ready2Teach Application 2026-2027 Join our next cohort by applying today. Setting Childcare Providers Up for Success LAEP will build a network of partner sites to host and mentor Ready2Teach interns.

In return, we will help hosting facilities build capacity to sustain and grow their business.

Mentor Training: LAEP Early Childhood Coaches will train mentors to guide interns through inquiry-based discovery around children’s behavior, child-centered activities, individualized support, and more, developing reflective practice for interns and mentors Intern Support: Interns will free up precious time to focus on administrative business tasks Professional Development: Partners will be enrolled in business administration coursework to develop strategies to improve business practices and increase child enrollment Business Coaching: LAEP business coaches will help providers improve financial performance and adapt to the changing early childhood education landscape through professional development around staff mentoring, staff management, and business administration Stipend: Participating sites will receive a $1,000 stipend at the end of the program Build Capacity Through Professional Support Could your licensed childcare facility benefit from Ready2Teach?

LAEP is recruiting childcare facility partner sites. M elissa Peña serves as the Chief Program Officer at the Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP), bringing more than two decades of experience advancing educational equity, youth development, and community-centered systems change.

A mission-driven and strategic leader, she has dedicated her career to eliminating barriers to learning and seeking equitable outcomes for historically underserved youth.

Prior to joining LAEP, Melissa spent over 14 years at Green Dot Public Schools where she launched and scaled high-impact initiatives that reduced chronic absenteeism by 27%, expanded access to wellness services, and built network-wide support systems for more than 600 homeless and foster youth across 18 schools.

Her leadership is rooted in both entrepreneurial vision and disciplined execution—designing programs, teams, and infrastructure that strengthen outcomes for students while supporting the adults who serve them.

Melissa’s commitment to equity has shaped her work across roles in education, youth development, and human services, including senior leadership positions at The Door in New York City and national diversity recruitment efforts at Teach For America.

She began her career as a fourth-grade teacher in Newark, New Jersey, a formative experience that continues to ground her belief that the key to ensuring every young person meets their full potential lies in the power of family–school–community partnerships. At LAEP, Melissa leads program strategy with empathy, clarity, and a deep belief that children thrive when systems work together from “diapers to diplomas.

” She holds a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B. A. in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara.

Outside of work, she enjoys researching her family history, exploring nature, and family movie nights with her husband and two children. Marketing and Communications LaCora is a seasoned communications professional with a passion for using multimedia storytelling to empower movements for social justice and equality.

For over 13 years, she has honed her skills as a versatile multimedia director, overseeing media operations across diverse organizations, including the NAACP Beverly Hills-Hollywood Branch and The Shirley Chisholm Education Foundation. Her deep understanding of the education and equity landscape fuels her creative vision, allowing her to craft impactful narratives that resonate with audiences.

With strategic communication​ and collaboration, LaCora excels in developing and executing compelling​ multimedia campaigns that not only raise​ awareness of critical issues but also​ inspire action and drive meaningful change. Her proficiency in concept​ development, production execution, and​ team leadership ensures projects are​ delivered with exceptional quality.

Furthermore, LaCora fosters strong​ relationships with internal and external​ stakeholders, cultivating partnerships​ that maximize campaign reach and impact. LaCora's educational foundation began with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Education from Florida A&M University. She then pursued a master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Alliant University of San Diego.

This passion for storytelling, fueled by her background in education, translates to her belief in the power of shared narratives. Her work in this area was recognized through her selection as a Women in Film Mentee and film director for Viola Davis’ sponsored film showcase, Diversity in Cannes.

Now, LaCora leverages her love of storytelling and commitment to educational equity in her role leading marketing and communications for Los Angeles Education Partnership, while also serving on the board of the Pasadena African American Film Foundation.

Senior Consultant, Raya Cooper Impact Consulting Dr. Eric Barela has worked as a measurement & evaluation professional for over 2 decades, helping organizations to better understand and act on their social impact.

He’s currently a Senior Consultant with Raya Cooper Impact Consulting and previously worked at Salesforce, where he led efforts to measure the social impact of the company’s work with nonprofits and educational institutions across the globe. He began his career working with the Los Angeles Unified School District and with the nonprofit, Partners in School Innovation.

Eric previously served on the Board of the American Evaluation Association and currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the American Journal of Evaluation. Eric grew up in East LA and was educated in the Montebello Unified School District. He holds a Ph.

D. in education from UCLA. He loves a good road trip, with his husband serving as trusty navigator.